By J.O. Abel-Ontop
What is politics?
Of all the intrigues, optimisms and pessimisms, ups and downs, maneuvering, hopes and hopelessness, honesty, loyalty and betrayals, scheming, planning and strategies, etc that you find in life and that leads to successes or failures, they are all material to politics, infact, they form major ingredients of how politics as a game is being played since the history of man. Hence, POLITICS IS LIFE!
In other words, I have learned some life lessons in the quest for supporting Elder Leke Abejide to be Governor of Kogi State that rendering good stewardship in leadership can be betrayed by the beneficiary of that same stewardship. It is just what and how politics (life) is.
We have heard and seen how Nigerians cry differently in response to misgovernance and bad leadership that has bedevilled them. Some said they won’t follow candidates just because of political parties, but personality; others proclaim that the antecedents (in business, profession or political responsibility) of any individual seeking for elective position will determine the kind of support base he/she will enjoy.
It is alarming that this happened in the opposite in the just concluded Governorship election in Kogi State.
Politics aside, it is a fact that Leke Abejide and his running mate, Idris Omede of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are the candidates that have best antecedents amongst other candidates of other political parties in the contest. Facts abound.
That they are successful in their individual careers is one thing, they also have good track records with public offices they have held in the past, and are still holding.
Before winning his House of Representatives Member election in 2019, Leke Abejide was popular for his philanthropist gesture, being a solution to the problem of humanity, especially students, youths, women/widows and farmers.
This philanthropic gesture translated to true and real representation by the delivery of dividends of democracy to the people, as he added and expanded to construction of road infrastructures, street lights, construction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Center, youth, artisans, farmers and market women empowerment, purchase of vehicles (SUV) for all graded chiefs in his federal constituency, Yagba, when he won his mandate in February, 2019.
If the electorates really want good governance and leadership, and if they truly based followership and support on antecedents, votes for Leke Abejide in the just concluded Kogi Governorship Election were to be automatic and quite numerous (plus or minus politics and power play) than what was obtained because his’ antecedents stands brighter than any other candidate.
Alas! The beneficiary of good governance (the electorates), are the real betrayals of good governance itself.
The people (the electorates) embraced politics in its different shade beyond good governance and leadership. They embraced tribalism, nepotism and discrimination, hatred and selfish interest instead of good governance; they preferred electoral fraud, malpractices, selling of votes for immediate petty financial/material gains, to the same system that poverty rode them than to painstakingly vote good antecedents, stewardship in leadership that will definitely translate to good leadership.
The betrayal in the accountable stewardship of Leke Abejide doesn’t change the fact that he remains tall as HERO OF GOOD GOVERNANCE.
The man, Leke Abejide that I know, will not be discouraged in good deeds and in delivery of the good leadership that will benefit the people.
I have therefore seen and confirmed that failure in leadership and governance is a product of failure of the electorates and betrayal in leadership from followers.
